Monday, April 13, 2009

SUMMER EASY EATING AND DETOX THE BODY

SUMMER EATING…SIMPLE HEALTHY MEALS.


When Easter and Passover are over, we are in the first stage of summer If you have long days, hot weather and energy sapping weather, eat and drink correctly to make life easier.

DETOX THE SYSTEM.

I like the idea of clearing the system and having a day a week of light eating.
The fasts and extreme fads of no food, concoctions and trendy ways to detox, do not suit everyone
Make it simple.
When you wake up, have a glass of water, with a squeeze of lemon in it and a dash of honey.
If you are often constipated, have a few dried fruits, soaked in boiled water overnight. Cook a pot of compote and that will be a great start to the day.
You need to eat in order for the bowels to be active.
Bran and roughage are excellent, only if you eat small amounts and drink sufficiently.
Often people are blocking themselves, instead of cleansing the body.

You need to eat slowly and masticate the foods well. Do not drink with meals, rather an hour before and one or two hours afterwards. Our habits of coffees and teas after a meal are fun, but not really good for the body

Try to eat regular meals and very little at the night meal. Snack in between. These can be an apple, a yogurt at the office, a snack bar at the movie or a bottle of water in the car.
The nosh does not have to be tea, coffee or cakes and cookies. A chocolate square can be enough and make you feel good.

Have many fresh vegetables and fruits in season. Enjoy a pot of steamed vegetables once a day. Soups can be hot or cold in summer and enjoy these with a salad and a slice of whole wheat bread. Use olive oil on the bread instead of butter.
Find the low fat cheeses and cottage cheeses for additions to the salad. These are great on rice crackers and are even fun heated. Kids who have asthma and allergies, can often feel better with rice crackers , than bread with wheat.
Do not indulge in sugary drinks , cookies and salty snacks.

Seniors need to eat less at night. A cold soup served in a bowl like yogurts with granolas and cut up fruits are great. You can blend yogurts or buttermilk with cucumbers and tomatoes, peppers and herbs like parsley, dill and basil. Add a slice of bread and cheese,and that is an easily digested meal.

When you have a protein meal, like meat, fish, cheeses and eggs, you do not need fruit afterwards. Skip the carbs with it too. A salad will work just fine.

Drink less liquor and find the pleasure of grape juice served cold. Apple juice and fruit juices are good. These are not nectars that are laced with sugars. Use fresh lemons, mint leaves and make NANA the lovely cold tea for summer. Just use a good blend of tea, mint leaves, and lemon in boiling water. Drink hot or have it cold all day. I add a little honey when I make it.

Instead of ice creams that are commercially created with unknown additives, I freeze a simple yogurt and make fruit smoothies and shakes. Fresh cold milk with a great brownie or crunchy, is a super snack.



THE SKIN AND BODY.
Winter is behind you and you need to exfoliate the skin too. Just use good soap and water to rub off the dead skin and dry flaky bits of winter on your body.
There are lots of masks and foams for this job too. You can use a gentle sponge with Dead sea salt and this will leave the skin feeling fresh.

CLOTHES.
When you buy new garments, look for labels that are eco friendly, easy to wash and made from good cottons and natural fibers. Today you can find bamboo and corn fibers too.

BED LINENS.
You are better off sleeping in cotton, and not synthetics. Some people sweat profusely and synthetics feel awful and full of odors. Towels are better if they are a good quality and washed in hot water.

SHOES AND SNEAKERS.
This is the time to unlace all shoes and let them air out in the sun. Give them all a wash and cleaning, polish and tidy up for the season. Kids need to have the sizes checked as they grow all the time. Small shoes cause problems. Also clean the school bags and lunch boxes.

HAVE A FUN START TO SUMMER. LOVE AND LIGHT RONA

No comments: